Various outdoor activities involve the use of relatively small objects which may be manipulated by a person's hands. In many instances, the user may anticipate handling the object in dry weather. For example, the everyday activities of a typical mail carrier involve walking from mailbox to mailbox and placing one or more paper mail items in each mailbox. More often than not, this activity occurs during dry weather. If it begins to rain, the mail carrier is posed with the problem of having to maintain the mail in a dry condition. Currently, there is no known specific type of protective apparatus available for handling mail in wet weather. As a result, the mail may get wet and the moisture may cause the address or print on the mail to become illegible. Moreover, the internal contents of the mail may get wet as well.
Inclement weather (e.g., rain and/or snow) has heretofore caused mail carriers to use make-shift techniques in an attempt to protect the mail. For example, many mail carriers attempt to shield the mail from the weather by holding it within their coats. As an alternative, many carriers simply wait until the troublesome weather ceases before completing their routes. Naturally, this latter technique slows the process and may cause the mail to be delayed. In addition, a burden is imposed on the mail carrier and the entire postal system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use by a person, such as a mail carrier, for protecting an object from inclement weather.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a protective apparatus of a sufficient size to accommodate a particular object sought to be protected from the inclement weather.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an protective apparatus made of a transparent material so that the person may view the objects protected by the apparatus.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus having a resilient member, such as a cuff, so that a person may slip his or her hand into the apparatus and hold the object within the apparatus.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those having skill in the art having reference to the following specification, together with its drawings.